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Tuesday, 27 November 2012

Another splendid "new" December '68 shot, and I shall manfully resist the temptation to pussy-related punnery.
This, as regulah readahs will shurely kno, is the thrilling location of the bottom of the garden steps location, as captured from the opposite angle by Cathy Kelleher Sarver a few months prior to the above pic:

And the same spot now: note the tree, which has (fairly obviously) survived, and the newly constructed indoor swimming pool on the right, topped with grass:

The interior:

Finally, another good new 'un of the pair oot and, indeed, aboot in the "grunds":

Kenwood was on the market from mid-1968, though when it actually sold is unclear.
This clipping dates spring, 1970; all the stuff mentioned would have long since been moved to Tittenhurst (or elsewhere). However the date of sale may be roughly accurate.
(As is often the case, I dunno.)
Many thanks again to Sara for sending this in.

A couple o' pics that are new on here; the one on the left from 1965, the one on the right from December 1968, and both of them, co-incidentally, showing the same corner of the big living room.
Here's how it looks these days - the wall was knocked through in the '90s to create a second entrance from the hall:

The '65 pic has done the rounds recently, being part of a new Curvebender collection of Henry Grossman's unseen Beatles stash...and pretty amazing it all sounds too; lots of Kenwood and Sunny Heights material, and much more besides.
Sadly, for whatever reason they have priced it at a level unknown to most mortals, and so way beyond the means of the vast majority of yer people. A real shame that most will never even see a copy, let alone be in a position to buy one:

Friday, 23 November 2012

A storm is battering my window as I type, possibly akin to that affecting our boy's hair. John, outside the front door at Kenwood, in typical fashion; he really was most patient with ver fannage, was he not?
And once again, gratitude to Mark Lewisohn, not least for similar forbearance.

Early 1965, and 3 photos featuring an anonymous Kenwood related person; John's renovations remain incomplete, to the extent that what turned out to be the most famous room in the house hasn't even been built yet.
The first, above, shows the door to the laundry, outside of which squat Julian plus said anonymous Kenwood related person, to the right of which would soon see the sunroom.
Compare with the view a couple o' years later:

John and Yoko would also be "photoed" on these very steps in December 1968:

Second, and moving on to the boot: at last, an exact location - half-way up the front drive, a fact confirmed by Dot Jarlett's e-book (of which, more anon):

Frontage and, moreover, etc:

Finally, and thank etc., a spot o' carpet beating outside the living room:

Ah yes, Kenwood.
The above jo-anner must shurely be familiar to the upwards of several people who peruse this...this. Squatting, as it did, in the den, I'd always taken it for just another piano, one of several dotted about the titular pile. Wouldn't John have been composing in the attic, or in the sunroom, and not generally in the den?
Not in late '66/early '67, as it turns out.
Apparently, in 1971, he had a plaque affixed to the side of the above stating the following: "On this piano was written: A Day In The Life, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Good Morning Good Morning, Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite and many others. John Lennon 1971" (see I told you it was 1971).

Thus, if this is to be believed, much of John's contribution to Sgt Pepper was actually composed in the den, now simply a simple room, squatting in a simple mansion, and shurely familiar to etc:

The piano ended up being sold at auction in Japan, though how it got there remains a mystery.
Many thanks to the venerable Mark Lewisohn for scannage.